Geography

Loscoat was, before 1945, a hamlet belonging to the village of Lambézellec(fr), which is now a large suburb of Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

. Part of the former hamlet has now become an industrial area(fr), whereas the rest has become a residential area.

World War II

As in all other hamlets around Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

, intense fighting between the American infantry forces and the German Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 took place in Loscoat during the Battle for Brest

Battle for Brest

The Battle for Brest was one of the fiercest battles fought during Operation Cobra, the Allied breakout of Normandy which began on 27 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II....

.

Most notably, Private First Class Ernest Prussman, from the 13th Infantry Regiment, took over his squad on 8 September 1944 during the advance on "Les Coates" [wrong transliteration of Loscoat] in Brittany, and disarmed several Germans, including a machine gun crew. Shot by a German rifleman, his dying act was to unleash a hand grenade that killed the man who shot him. He was awarded a Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

posthumously.

Maps

• Google Map of Loscoat.